A New Approach to the Quantification of Fibroblast Growth Factor 23-An Array Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging Biosensor.

A new biosensor based on the "surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi)" detection technique for the quantification of "fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23)" has been developed. FGF23 is mainly produced in bone tissues as a phosphaturic hormone that forms a trimeric complex with "fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1)" and αKlotho upon secretion. FGF23 stimulates phosphate excretion and inhibits the formation of active vitamin D in the kidneys. FGF23 has been shown to play a role in bone carcinogenesis and metastasis. The newly developed method, based on the array SPRi biosensor, was validated-the precision, accuracy, and selectivity were acceptable, and yielded less than ±10% recovery. The rectilinear response of the biosensor ranges from 1 to 75 pg/mL. The limit of detection was 0.033 pg/mL, and the limit of quantification was 0.107 pg/mL. The biosensor was used to determine FGF23 concentrations in the blood plasma of healthy subjects and patients with "clear cell" renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). The obtained results were compared with those measured through an "enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)". The determined Pearson correlation coefficients were 0.994 and 0.989, demonstrating that the newly developed biosensor can be used as a competitive method for the ELISA.

Structural and Thermomagnetic Properties of Gallium Nanoferrites and Their Influence on Cells In Vitro.

Magnetite and gallium substituted cuboferrites with a composition of GaxFe3-xO4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1.4) were fabricated by thermal decomposition from acetylacetonate salts. The effect of Ga3+ cation substitution on the structural and thermomagnetic behavior of 4-12 nm sized core-shell particles was explored by X-ray and neutron diffraction, small angle neutron scattering, transmission electron microscopy, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and calorimetric measurements. Superparamagnetic (SPM) behavior and thermal capacity against increasing gallium concentration in nanoferrites were revealed. The highest heat capacity typical for Fe3O4@Ga0.6Fe2.4O4 and Ga0.6Fe2.4O4@Fe3O4 is accompanied by a slight stimulation of fibroblast culture growth and inhibition of HeLa cell growth. The observed effect is concentration dependent in the range of 0.01-0.1 mg/mL and particles of Ga0.6Fe2.4O4@Fe3O4 design have a greater effect on cells. Observed magnetic heat properties, as well as interactions with tumor and healthy cells, provide a basis for further biomedical research to use the proposed nanoparticle systems in cancer thermotherapy (magnetic hyperthermia).

Ecotoxicological assessment of magnetite and magnetite/Ag nanoparticles on terrestrial and aquatic biota from different trophic levels.

The aim of the study is an ecotoxicological assessment of magnetite iron oxide-based nanoparticles (NPs), which have risen in popularity in the last decade, on selected terrestrial and aquatic organisms from various levels of the food chain. In the presented study various organisms, from both the terrestrial and aquatic environment, were used as targets for the assessment of NPs ecotoxicity. Plants (radish, oat), marine bacteria (A. fischeri) and crustacean (H. incongruens) were used to represent producers, decomposers, and consumers, respectively. It was found that examined NPs were harmful (to a different degree) to biota from three different trophic levels. Physicochemical characterization (size/morphology, crystallinity, composition, and magnetic properties) of the tested nanoparticles was performed by: transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and Mossbauer spectroscopy, respectively. Phytotoxicity was evaluated according to the OECD 208 Guideline, while acute and chronic toxicity of NPs was conducted using bioassays employing bacteria and crustacea, respectively. The phytotoxicity of all investigated iron oxide-based NPs was dependent on concentration and type of NPs formulation and was measured via biomass, seed germination, root length, shoot height, and content of plant pigments. Increasing the concentration of NPs increased phytotoxicity and mortality of aquatic organisms. Ecotoxicity of iron oxide/silver was dependent on the size and content of silver. Iron oxide NPs coated with nanosilver in a percentage ratio of 69/31 were found to be the most toxic on tested terrestrial and aquatic biota.

"Soft Protein Corona" as the Stabilizer of the Methionine-Coated Silver Nanoparticles in the Physiological Environment: Insights into the Mechanism of the Interaction.

The study of the interactions between nanoparticles (NPs) and proteins has had a pivotal role in facilitating the understanding of biological effects and safe application of NPs after exposure to the physiological environment. Herein, for the first time, the interaction between L-methionine capped silver nanoparticles (AgMet), and bovine serum albumin (BSA) is investigated in order to predict the fate of AgMet after its contact with the most abundant blood transport protein. The detailed insights into the mechanism of interaction were achieved using different physicochemical techniques. The UV/Vis, TEM, and DLS were used for the characterization of the newly formed "entity", while the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters were utilized to describe the adsorption process. Additionally, the fluorescence quenching and synchronous fluorescence studies enabled the prediction of the binding affinity and gave us insight into the influence of the adsorption on the conformation state of the BSA. According to the best of our knowledge, for the first time, we show that BSA can be used as an external stabilizer agent which is able to induce the peptization of previously agglomerated AgMet. We believe that the obtained results could contribute to further improvement of AgNPs' performances as well as to the understanding of their in vivo behavior, which could contribute to their potential use in preclinical research studies.

Magnetic Nanoparticles as Effective Heavy Ion Adsorbers in Natural Samples.

This paper refers to research based on tests completed on the adsorption of heavy metal ions (Pb2+, Cu2+, Cd2+) from selected natural liquid samples such as apple, tomato, and potato juices using surface-functionalized Mn ferrite nanoparticles (Mn0.2Fe2.8O4). To determine the most efficient adsorption conditions of these heavy metals, the nanoparticles' surfaces were modified with five different ligands (phthalic anhydride, succinic anhydride, acetic anhydride, 3-phosphonopropionic acid, and 16-phosphonohexadecanoic acid). To evaluate the success of the adsorption process, the resultant liquid samples were examined for the amount of residuals using the flame atomic absorption spectroscopy method. The Mn ferrite particles selected for these tests were first characterized physicochemically by the following methods: transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, Mössbauer spectroscopy.

Stability Studies of Magnetite Nanoparticles in Environmental Solutions.

In the presented paper, studies of magnetite nanoparticle stability in selected environmental solutions are reported. The durability tests were performed in four types of liquids: treated and untreated wastewater, river water, and commercial milk (0.5% fat). Nanoparticles before and after deposition in the testing conditions were measured by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The amount of Fe atoms transferred into the solutions was estimated on the basis of flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. The analysis of the obtained results shows good stability of the tested nanoparticles in all water solutions. They do not change their structure or magnetic properties significantly, which makes them a good candidate to be used as, for example, detectors of specific compounds or heavy metals. On the other hand, studies show that particles are stable in environmental conditions for a long period of time in an unchanged form, which can cause their accumulation; therefore, they may be hazardous to living organisms.

Simultaneous sorption behaviors of UV filters on the virgin and aged micro-high-density polyethylene under environmental conditions.

The simultaneous sorption behaviors of four analytes from the UV filters group, benzophenone (BPh), 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (4MBC), benzophenone 3 (BPh3), and benzophenone 2 (BPh2) on virgin and aged high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with a particle size of 125 µm in milliQ and river water were examined in this study. The aging processes of HDPE particles were carried out with the use of simulated sunlight. Conducted research revealed that the sorption of UV filters on HDPE particles follows pseudo-second-order kinetics. A Temkin isothermal model best described the adsorption process for 4BMC, BPh, BPh3, BPh2 on aged HDPE in river water, and 4MBC, BPh, BPh3 on virgin HDPE in milliQ water. The adsorption of BPh2 onto virgin MPs in milliQ water was consistent with the Langmuir isothermal model. Environmental conditions and physicochemical properties of analytes influenced the sorption mechanism between UV filters and MPs particles. It was observed that the main mechanisms responsible for the sorption of BPh, 4MBC, BPh3, and BPh2 on the surface of HDPE are hydrophobic interactions, that may change through the involvement of electrostatic interactions.

Author Correction: The Effect of a Substrate Material on Composition Gradients of Fe-Ni Films obtained by Electrodeposition.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Importance of Surfactant Quantity and Quality on Growth Regime of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles.

This study shows the influence of selected nonstandard surfactants on the growth and properties of magnetite nanoparticles. Particles were obtained using thermally decomposed iron (III) acetylacetonate in an organic environment. For synthesis, three different concentrations (4, 8, and 16 mmol) of tested surfactants were used. Five types of each long-chain carboxylic acid and amines were selected for stabilization of nanoparticles. Nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and infrared spectroscopy. Magnetic properties of the nanoparticles were tested by conventional room temperature Mössbauer spectroscopy with and without external magnetic field. TEM images clearly showed that application of tertiary amines causes the nanoparticles to form nanoflowers, in contrast to other compounds, which do not show such growth. Influence of surfactant amount on growth regime depends on the nature of the substances. Mössbauer spectroscopy confirms differences in magnetic core composition as a result of the surfactant amount present in synthetic procedure.

The Effect of a Substrate Material on Composition Gradients of Fe-Ni Films obtained by Electrodeposition.

The electrodeposition of FeNi alloy films was performed galvanostatically in the sulfate solution (Fe2+/Ni2+ mass ratio 1:2) in order investigate their co-deposition mechanism. The FeNi layers were deposited at variable substrates (copper, brass, silver) under the same chemical (electrolyte composition) and electric plating (current density value) conditions. After applying various time, substrates and external magnetic field orientation, the quality of the obtained film was examined. The surface morphology and crystallographic texture variation were investigated by the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (WDXRF) and Laser Confocal Scanning Microscope (LCSM). The anomalous co-deposition of iron group metals is evidently dependent on the substrate.

Influence of Atomic Doping on Thermal Stability of Ferrite Nanoparticles-Structural and Magnetic Studies.

In this paper, a series of experiments are reported where ferrite nanoparticles were synthesized with different substitution percentages (5, 10, 15, or 20%) of Fe2+ by Co2+, Mn2+, or Ni2+ ions. Afterwards, the prepared nanoparticles were thermally treated between 50 and 500 °C in air for 24 h in order to observe how doping influences the oxidation process induced by temperature elevation and access to O2. Nanoparticles were imaged before and after thermal treatment by transmission electron microscopy and were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometry, and Mössbauer spectroscopy. Presented studies reveal that the amount and kind of doped transition metals (of replaced Fe2+) strongly affect the oxidation process of ferrite nanoparticles, which can govern the application possibility. Each transition element suppresses the oxidation process in comparison to pure Fe-oxides, with the highest impact seen with Ni2+.

Heavy-metal detectors based on modified ferrite nanoparticles.

In this work, we analyze artificial heavy-metal solutions with ferrite nanoparticles. Measurements of adsorption effectiveness of different kinds of particles, pure magnetite or magnetite doped with calcium, cobalt, manganese, or nickel ions, were carried out. A dependence of the adsorption efficiency on the composition of the inorganic core has been observed. Ferrites surfaces were modified by phthalic anhydride (PA), succinic anhydride (SA), acetic anhydride (AA), 3-phosphonopropionic acid (3-PPA), or 16-phosphohexadecanoic acid (16-PHDA) to compare the adsorption capability of the heavy metals Cd, Cu and Pb. The obtained nanoparticles were structurally characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The amounts of Cd, Cu and Pb were measured out by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) as comparative techniques. The performed study shows that SA linker appears to be the most effective in the adsorption of heavy metals. Moreover, regarding the influence of the composition of the inorganic core on the detection ability, the most effective ferrite Mn0.5Fe2.5O4 was selected for discussion. The highest heavy-metal adsorption capability and universality was observed for SA as a surface modifier.

Characterization of ferrite nanoparticles for preparation of biocomposites.

Ferrite nanoparticles with nominal composition Me0.5Fe2.5O4 (Me = Co, Fe, Ni or Mn) have been successfully prepared by the wet chemical method. The obtained particles have a mean diameter of 11-16 ± 2 nm and were modified to improve their magnetic properties and chemical activity. The surface of the pristine nanoparticles was functionalized afterwards with -COOH and -NH2 groups to obtain a bioactive layer. To achieve our goal, two different modification approaches were realized. In the first one, glutaraldehyde was attached to the nanoparticles as a linker. In the second one, direct bonding of such nanoparticles with a bioparticle was studied. In subsequent steps, the nanoparticles were immobilized with enzymes such as albumin, glucose oxidase, lipase and trypsin as a test bioparticles. The characterization of the nanoparticles was acheived by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The effect of the obtained biocomposites was monitored by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The obtained results show that in some cases the use of glutaraldehyde was crucial (albumin).